Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah reiterated his government’s unwavering commitment to tackle all forms of malnutrition, including stunting, to ensure a better future for the children of the province. Speaking at a workshop titled “Multi-Sectoral Convergence Strategy on Stunting & Malnutrition in Sindh,” organized by the Planning & Development Department in collaboration with the World Bank, CM Murad Shah highlighted the importance of concerted efforts in addressing this critical issue.
The event saw the participation of Minister P&D Syed Nasir Shah, Minister Health Dr. AzraFazalPechuho, Chief Secretary AsifHyder Shah, World Bank Country Director NajyBenhassine, and World Bank Regional Director Mrs. Nicole Klingen, among others. CM Murad Shah emphasized that upon assuming office, he initiated an Accelerated Action Plan to combat stunting, with a particular focus on a multi-sectoral approach. The plan, developed in collaboration with the World Bank, integrates sectors such as livestock, fisheries, and agriculture to address malnutrition comprehensively.
The Chief Minister highlighted the establishment of Outpatient Therapeutic Program (OTP) sites in numerous health facilities to cater specifically to malnourished children. Furthermore, initiatives such as the distribution of livestock to vulnerable communities, especially households with pregnant and lactating women, have been undertaken to address nutritional needs effectively. CM Murad Shah underscored the collective efforts of the Sindh government and its development partners in addressing this critical issue and reaffirmed their determination to make significant strides in reducing the prevalence of malnutrition in the province. Shah mentioned that the unprecedented floods in Sindh in 2022 caused havoc for the people of Sindh.
The calamity affected every sector of society, including education, health, agriculture, and livestock. Large swaths of land were under water for many weeks. Sindh government had only priority to save human lives and give them shelter with its meagre resources available for such a catastrophe, the CM said and added 20,000 schools were either partially or fully damaged and hundreds of health facilities came under water, however, our government stood by the people in that moment of trial and tribulation. Murad Shah stated that poverty, income, and social protection have a direct impact on stunting in children under 5 years of age.
The Sindh government has established a dedicated department for social protection and, with the assistance of the World Bank, has launched a social protection strategy unit that includes direct cash transfers to beneficiaries. Additionally, the government has initiated a health project called 1000 Days to provide adequate nutrition to pregnant and lactating women, reducing the likelihood of malnutrition in newborns. However, these programs require further coverage and intensity to meet the needs of the community. The CM said that stunting was an alarming issue, which needed to be tackled seriously.
“My government has unshakable determination to reduce this problem, although, there is a dedicated task force established in the Planning & Development department, the menace of malnutrition can be done away with, by engaging all sectors and converging them at one platform,” said and added that we need ed the technical assistance from World Bank and other development partners to build the capacity of related departments to fight the multi-dimensional causes of stunting. “I have heard the domain experts often quoting that if you invest one dollar in a stunted child, he will return 16 dollars as an adult,” he said.
The government of Sindh is committed to making concerted efforts to get rid of all forms of malnutrition including stunting and save the future of our children, the CM said and added he would ask the Minister and Chairman P&D to strengthen the coordination of all sectors, departments and units and work collaboratively to address stunting so that better outcomes could be achieved in the foreseeable future.
He thanked the World Bank team and the Planning & development department for arranging such an important workshop which has brought together all relevant sectors including health, WASH, Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Social Protection and Education for the awareness of us all. “All these sectors have to come out of their conventional approach and converge their efforts and resources in districts to accelerate the reduction of stunting,” he concluded.
